Oil well tool



J. H, NICKS OIL'WELL TOOL INov. 8, 1938.

Original Filed Aug. 26. 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet.

. 1 y///7 LV/Y MM 7 .M 9 3 INVENTOR ATTO R N EY AyNov;:.'2.,193:e..@.HNICKS 2,136,015

OIL WELL TOOL Original Filed Aug. 26, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet2 INVENTORATTORNEY Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES .OIL WELL TOOL AJoe HenryNicks, Corpus Christi, Tex.

Application August as, 1935, sei-iai No. 37,966 Renewed April s, 193s 7Claims.

'I'his invention relates to a tool or apparatus for the making of sealsin oil wells wherein it is desired to separate certain -parts of a wellfrom other parts to prevent mixing of undesirabl'e substances withdesirable substances.

and has for the primary object the provision of a device of thischaracter which is easy and inexpensive to operate and which will permitone or more seals to be constructed and during the l0 construction ofsuch seals, the device will act as a check to prevent the escape ofliquids and gases from the w'ell.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists in certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts tobe hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawings, in

which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing a toolpositioned in a well for the purpose of closing the rat hole of a wellfrom the upper portion of the well and also acting to check or preventthe flow of liquid or gases from the rat hole upwardly through the welltubing.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the forming of a seal inthe well to close the upper portion of the well to the rat hole with theball check valve releasing medium act-` ing as a check to prevent escapeof gases and liquid from the rat hole by way of the well tubing.

Figure 3 is a fragmenNtary sectional view showing a. ball valveunseating element which is capable of acting as a check valve after therelease of the ball valve.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the tool afterthe formation of a seal in the well and cleared of the lower valve seatand ball valve.

Figure 5 is a vfragmentary vertical'sectional view showing the toolcleared of the upper valve seat after the formation of the seal in thewell. Figure 6 is ya fragmentary vertical sectional view showing a wellhaving a series of seals formed therein by a slight modification oi thetool from that shown in Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View showing one seal afterbeing formed in the Well and the tool'arranged for the formation of asecond seal at a lower elevation in the well from the first seal.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the nuoutwardly through the upperbeveled face of the meral I indicates a'drill well having at its lowerend the usual rat hole 2 from which desirable gases and liquids are tobe obtained and to close the rat hole from the upper portion of the wella tool 3 has been provided which consists of a 5 cylindrical body lhaving formed thereon and adjacent one end a shoulder 5 forming anabut-` ment to be engaged by a substantially conicalshaped packing 6.'I'he packing S is located on the body l between the shoulder 5 and oneend of said body, the latter-named end of the body being screw threadedto receive a threaded collar 1 cooperating with the shoulder 5 inretaining the packing on the body. Located in the 'last-named end of thebody is a valve seat 8 having a passage 8 therethrough. ri'he packing 6is of any desired material which will Iyield slightly under pressure andwhen subjected to liquid will expand and acts to center the device in awell by contacting the walls of the latter. The valve `seat 8 isconstructed of a suitable destructible material. The shoulder5 hasformedA therein a series of ports I Il having communication with theinterior of the body and opening shoulder. The beveled face of theshoulder 5 forms a seat for a valve element II slidably mounted'on thebody l. The valve element II has a beveled face to cooperate with thebeveled face of the shoulder 5 in closing the ports I0. 30 'I'he valveelement II is slidably mounted on guide rods I2 suitably secured to aflange I3 formed on the body 4. Coil springs I4 are mounted on the guiderods between the flange I3 and the valve element II and act to urge 35the valve element in engagement with the shoulder 5 for closing theports 10 but which will permit the valve element to move away from theshoulder to open the ports by an internal force or a force within thebody I. 40

Detachably secured to the end of the body 4 opposite to the valve seat 8is a sleeve I5 having mounted therein a valve seat I6 of destructiblematerial. 'I'he valve seat I 6 has a passage I1 therethrough, one endterminating in a flare 45 '2i is dislodged from theV fingers 2| toengage with the seat 8, this being accomplished by the lowering throughthe well tubing 22 an element 55 23. The well tubing 22 is detachablyconnected to the sleeve I5. element 23 for dislodging the ball valve 20consists of an elongated body 24 to which a pointed head 25 is threaded.Interposed between one end of the body 24 and the head 25 is a cup 26.The diameter of the passage I'I of the valve seat I6 is not large enoughto permit passing of the ball valve 20 therethrough but is of a sizelarge enough to permit the element 23 to pass therethrough to strike theball and dislodge the same from the lingers. The element 23 ondislodging the ball valve from the fingers 2| becomes suspended by saidlingers and should there be a pressure in the body the cup will engagethe seat I9 and cut of! the pres.

sure to thewell tubing 22.

In operation, after drilling a well, as shown in Figure 1, with a rathole 2, the sleeve I5 with the body 4 connected thereto is secured tothe well tubing and the latter is lowered into the well until thepacking 6 wedges against the walls of the rat hole, thereby effectivelyforming a temporary seal between the body 4 and the w 11s of the rathole and centering the device in t je well. Due to the shape of thepacking 6 it will act as a guide for directing the body 4 into the rathole when said body is lowered into thewell. 'Ihe element 23 is thenreleased at the upper end oi the Well tubing 22 for gravitationdownwardly therethrough and through the passage I'I of the valve seat I6to dislodge the ball valve 20. 'I'he ball valve then gravitates onto theseat 9, closing the body against the escape of any materials in thebody. The element 23 remains in the ngers 2| so that should there beanypressure from the rat hole the passage I1 will be closed by .saidelement 23 and thereby prevent the pressure, which may be in the form ofoil or gas', from passing up through the well tubing 22.

Cement or similar materialL is then poured downwardly through the welltubing 22, through the passage II into the body 4 where said matev rialpasses outwardly of the body by way of the ports I0, forcing the valveelement II upwardly and evenly filling in the space between the body ofthe device and the walls of the well. The material lls in evenlybetweenthe body 4 and the walls of the well to a desired height to form apermanent seal 21, completely closing v'the upper portion of the well tothe rat hole and thereby prevent desirable substances in the rat holefrom being contaminated by undesirable substances which may be in theupper portion of the well.

After the formation and seating of the seal 21, the valve seat I6 andvalve seat 8 are crushed and removed by any suitable tool, opening theow of the gas, liquid or other substance from the rat hole to the welltubing. Figure 4 illustrates the body after the removal of the valveseat 8 and the ball valve while Figure 5 shows the sleeve I5 after theremoval of the valve seat I6 and its companion parts.

While I have described the forming of a. seal between the upper portionoi' a well and the rat4 The tools 28 each iiled form of my invention toform the series of spaced seals, the uppermost seal is formed first inthe well, as shown in Figure '7, and after forming of this seal, theplug 290i .this tool is destroyed so that further pouring of cement orlike material will gravitate to the next tool and form the second sealuntil the last or lowermost seal is to be formed by the tool 3. v'I'hesame method or step is employed in forming the final seal of the well asheretofore described in connection with the preferred form of theinvention.

It will be noted that the packing 30 employed on the tools or units 28is slightly larger than the packing 6 on the tool 3. The reason formaking the packings 30 larger isso that they will contact with the wallsof the upper portion of the well, this part of the well being of adiameterl greater than the diameter of the rat hole.

During the initial lowering of the tool in the well, the valve elementII will prevent the ports I0 from being clogged from substances in thewell. However, should the ports becomeA clogged they can be opened byliquid or air pressure subjected to the well tubing 22 and after theball valve 20 has been releasedgfrom the iingers 2I xand engaged withthe valve seat 8. With the ball valve in engagement with the valve seat8, it will.be seen that air or liquid pressure subjected to the interiorof the body 4 will pass out of the ports I0 and free them of any matterwhich may be clogging said ports.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A device of the character set forth comprising a hollow body, meansfor connecting said body to a well tubing for forming a continuation ofthe latter and for lowering into a well, means forming a seal betweensaid body and Walls of a rat hole and carried by the body, a temporaryclosure for the body to prevent seal forming material passed into thebody by way of the Well tubing from passing from said body, said bodyhaving ports to permit the seal forming material to pass from the bodyand forma seal between the exterior of the body and walls of the well, avalve element slidably mounted on the exterior of the body to close theports to substances ex- 'teriorly of the body, guides secured to thebody ported by said guides.

2. A" device of the character set forth comprising a tubular body, meansfor connecting said body to a well tubing for forming a continuation ofthe latter and for lowering into a well with said well tubing, meansforming a seal between said body and walls of a rat hole of said welland carried by the body, a. destructible valve seat at one end of thebody, a valve means for permitting seal forming material to pass throughthe body and form a seal between the body and walls of the well, a ballcheck valve seat carried by the rst-named means, a ball valve locatedbetween the valve seats and adapted to engage the iirstnamed seat duringthe placing in and passing.

of the seal forming material from the body, means for temporarilysupporting the ball valve adjacent to the second-named seat to act as acheck valve for preventing the pressure in the body passing to the Welltubing during the lowering of the well tubing, and means for dislodgingthe ball valve from its temporary position.

3. A devicefof the character set forth comprising a tubular body, meansfor connecting said body to a well tubing for forming a continuation ofthe latter and for lowering into a well with said Well tubing, meansforming a seal between said body and walls of a rat hole of said welland may cooperate therewith in'preventing pressures in the body frompassing to the well tubing during the lowering of the body into thewell, and means for dislodging the ball valve from said fingers.

4. A device of the character set forth compris--v ing a tubular body,-means for connecting said body to a well tubing for forming acontinuation of the latter and for lowering into a well with said welltubing, means forming a. seal between said body and walls of a rat holeof said well and carried by the body, a destructible valve seat at oneend of the body, a valve means for permitting seal forming material topass through the body and form a seal between the body and walls of thewell, a ball check valve seat carried by the first-named means, a ballvalve located between the valve seats and adapted to engage thefirst-named seat during the placing in and passing of the seal formingmaterial from the body, resilient fingers` carried by the secondnamedseat for temporarily supporting the ball valve adjacent saidsecond-named seat so that the ball valve may cooperate therewith in`preventing pressures in the body from passing to the well tubing duringthe lowering of the body into the well, and means for dislodging theball valve from the fingers and adapted toform a valve for cooperatingwith the second seat in fhecking pressure from the body tothe well tub-5. A device of the character set forth comprising a tubular body, meansfor'connecting said body to a well tubing for forming a continuation ofthe latter and for lowering into a well with said well tubing, meansforming a seal between said body and walls of a rat hole of said welland carried by the body, a destructible valve seat at one end of thebody, a valve means for permitting seal forming material towass throughthe body and form a seal between the body and walls of the.wel1, a ballcheck valve seat carried by the first-named means, a ball valve locatedbetween the valve seats and adapted to engage the first-named seatduring the placing in and passing of the seal forming material. from thebody,` resilient fingers carried by the secondnamed seat for temporarilysupporting the ballvalve adjacent said second-named seat so that theball valve may cooperate therewith in prel5 venting pressures in thebody from passing to the well tubing during the lowering of the bodyinto the well, and a dislodging element to pass through the well tubingby gravitation and dislodge the ball valve from the ngers and to beretained by the latter, said element including a valve portion forcooperation with the second-named seat in checking pressures from thebody to the well tubing.

6. A device of the character set forth compris- 15 'lng a tubular body,means for connecting said body to a well tubing for forming acontinuation of the latter and for lowering into a well with said welltubing, means forming a seal between said body and walls of a rat holeof said well and carried by the body, a destructible valve seat atoneend of the body, a valve means for permitting seal forming material topass through the body and form a seal between the body and walls of thewell, a ball check valve seat carried by the first-named means, a ballvalve located between the valve seats and adapted to engage thefirst-named seat during the placing in and passing of the seal formingmaterial from the body, resilient fingers carried by the secondnamedseat for temporarily supporting the ball valve adjacent saidsecond-named seat so that the ball valve may cooperate therewith inpreventing pressures in the body from passing to the well tubing duringthe lowering of vthe body into the well, and a dislodging element topass through the well tubing by gravitation and dislodge the ball valvefrom the fingers and to be retained by the latter, said elementincluding a valve portion for cooperation with thesecond-named seat inchecking pressures from the body to the well tubing, said second-namedvalve seat, ball valve' and dislodging element being made ofdestructible material.

7. An oil well tool comprising a body to be lowered into a well andadapted to have cementing material placed therein, an inverted conicalshaped plug mounted on said body and of solid yieldable material and ofa size to contact and snugly fit walls of a well or walls of a rat-holeof said well to block olf portions of the well from each other and tocenter the body in the well, and means for permitting the cementingmaterial to pass from the body with an even distribution of saidmaterial entirely about the body and above and adjacent to the upperendof the plug to contact the plug, walls of the well or walls of therat-hole and said body to form a seal to prevent the passing of liquidand gas from one portion of the well to another.

JOE HENRY NICKS.

